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Retention and Reasons for Non-Interview

Retention and Reasons for Non-Interview

Reasons for Noninterview

Sample Representativeness & Attrition

Reasons for Noninterview

A cumulative 'Reason for Noninterview' variable was created by CHRR for the full sample of respondents in each cohort. This created variable is a combination of: (1) the noninterview reasons provided by Census for the subset of respondents designated as eligible for interview in that survey year and (2) the reason for noninterview assigned during a previous survey to out-of-scope respondents. Instructions to interviewers on how to code the reason a respondent was not interviewed appear within the cohort-specific Interviewer's Reference Manuals.

The set of noninterview coding categories present during the initial survey years of each cohort was supplemented over the years with additional reasons for noninterview, and the meaning of existing categories was refined. For each cohort, Table 1 presents the raw coding categories and specifies the survey years during which each category was utilized.

In addition to the cumulative 'Reason for Noninterview' variable, the 1990 resurvey of Older Men data include two noninterview variables which reflect the reasons for noninterview for just those respondents for whom interviews were attempted that year. R06014. provides the reason for noninterview for sample persons with whom an interview was attempted, and R07114. provides the reason for noninterview of the Older Men respondent's widow. The cumulative 1990 variable R06014.01 provides the reason for noninterview for all Older Men respondents and is comparable to the single variable included in the other interview years.

User Notes

The 'Reason for Noninterview' variables in the 1990 Older Men survey are constructed in a different manner than in other years. Because the survey included widows, as well as proxies for both living and deceased sample members and their widows, the coding categories were altered to reflect the different types of refusals by those other than the original sample member. Additionally, attempts were made to interview institutionalized respondents, a significant change from previous years. Finally, the 1990 reason for noninterview variables cannot be used to identify deceased sample members. Researchers who wish to identify all respondents known to be deceased as of the 1990 interview should use the variable "Age of R at Death Calculated from 90 Interview & Date of Birth" (R07075.). All respondents with a positive value for this variable, as well as the 33 respondents with a value of -127 (don't know), were deceased at the time of the 1990 interview.

The reason for noninterview coding categories depicted in the tables below were constructed from the raw coding categories as shown in Table 1. For example, the conceptual category "can't locate" is the sum of codes "0" and "3" for the Older Men and codes "1" and "4" for the Young Men. Tables 2 through 5 depict the number of respondents in each cohort not interviewed by survey year, reason, and race. Additional detail on nonresponse rates and numbers by age in 1966 for the Older Men and Young Men cohorts is presented in Parsons (1987a, 1987b).

a Specific instructions to Census interviewers on use of these coding categories can be found in the cohort-specific Interviewer's Reference Manuals.

b Due to the change in fielding procedures for the 1990 resurvey of the Older Men, noninterview coding categories are markedly different for that year and are excluded from this chart. "All years" thus refers to the 1966-83 surveys. Persons interested in the 1990 noninterview variables should reference R06014.00 and R06014.01.

c Beginning in the 1978/1979 survey years when the separate "moved outside the U.S." coding category was added as a reason for noninterview, this "unable to locate" coding category was to exclude those respondents who had moved outside the U.S.

Table 2. Reasons for Noninterview: Older Men 1966-83

Reason for Noninterview

Survey Year

Total Interviewed

Total Not Interviewed

Can't Locate

Interview Impossible

Refusal

Out of Scope

Deceased

Dropped

1966

5020

0

0

0

0

0

0

a

1967

4744

276

44

65

107

0

60

a

1968

4648

372

55

25

159

1

132

a

1969

4381

639

42

77

249

13

234

24

1971

4175

845

33

48

305

17

399

43

1973

3951

1069

50

22

347

14

567

69

1975

3732

1288

26

25

390

13

741

93

1976

3487

1533

13

39

518

14

841

108

1978

3219

1801

18

36

591

30

1004

122

1980

3001

2019

10

10

626

32

1206

135

1981

2832

2188

4

13

687

26

1307

151

1983

2633

2387

4

13

687

26

1498

159

Note: Table based on R00635., R01120., R01156., R01639., R02547., R02693., R02862., R03739., R04076., R04488., and R05497.10. 'Reason for Noninterview' variables are available for 1990; because coding categories differ substantially from those in the 1967-83 surveys, noninterview data for 1990 are omitted here.

a Dropped from the sample because of two consecutive noninterviews was added as a coding category in 1969.

Table 3. Reasons for Noninterview by Race: Older Men 1967-83

Reason for Noninterview

Total Not Interviewed

Can't Locate

Interview Impossible

Refusal

Out of Scope

Deceased

Dropped

Survey Year

Non-Black

Black

Non-Black

Black

Non-Black

Black

Non-Black

Black

Non-Black

Black

Non-Black

Black

Non-Black

Black

1967

198

78

23

21

42

23

94

13

0

0

39

21

a

a

1968

262

110

25

30

16

9

135

24

0

1

86

46

a

a

1969

459

180

25

17

52

25

207

42

7

6

154

80

14

10

1971

584

261

11

22

30

18

257

48

9

8

251

148

26

17

1973

732

337

22

28

14

8

292

55

9

5

356

211

39

30

1975

889

399

11

15

20

5

329

61

9

4

471

270

49

44

1976

1079

454

9

4

34

5

440

78

9

5

530

311

57

51

1978

1261

540

10

8

22

14

505

86

20

10

636

368

68

54

1980

1412

607

5

5

7

3

536

90

23

9

765

441

76

59

1981

1523

665

0

4

10

3

580

107

17

9

828

479

88

63

1983

1667

720

2

2

10

3

585

102

14

12

963

535

93

66

Note: Table based on R00023. (race), R00635., R01120., R01156., R01639., R02547., R02693., R02862., R03739., R04076., R04488., and R05497.10. 'Reason for Noninterview' variables are available for 1990; because coding categories differ substantially from those in the 1967-83 surveys, noninterview data for 1990 are omitted here.

a Dropped from the sample because of two consecutive noninterviews was added as a coding category in 1969.

a Large numbers of Young Men remained out-of-scope for interviewing in 1967-71 due to enlistment in the Armed Forces. A separate out-of-scope coding category, "moved outside the U.S.," was added in 1978. Respondents who could not be interviewed in 1967-76 because their residence--either within or outside of the U.S--was too far away were coded within the "interview impossible" category. Out-of-scope counts for pre-1978 survey years thus may be understated.

b Respondents who had been noninterviews for two consecutive survey years due to reasons other than refusal or death were eliminated from the eligible sample beginning with the 1969 interview.

a Large numbers of Young Men remained out-of-scope for interviewing in 1967-71 due to enlistment in the Armed Forces. A separate out-of-scope coding category, "moved outside the U.S.," was added in 1978. Respondents who could not be interviewed in 1967-76 because their residence--either within or outside of the U.S--was too far away were coded within the "interview impossible" category. Out-of-scope counts for pre-1978 survey years thus may be understated.

b Respondents who had been noninterviews for two consecutive survey years due to reasons other than refusal or death were eliminated from the eligible sample beginning with the 1969 interview.